Matt Gidley

[Lowey3]

Arrives at Manchester Airport at around 7.30am on the 30th of December along with Daniel Anderson. From which they will travel to Knowsley road to start a training session at 10.30 am. He will be introduced to all his new team mates and made to feel welcome.

What can we expect from him, having watched him this season he seems to have lost but can still do a bit of magic with ball in hand.

Do you reckon it's a good signing and would of liked to keep him ?

 

[macavity]

yes and yes.

better than Lyon.

there, I said it.

 

[keeney]

I haven't seen Lyon in a while, but I'm not gonna be so presumptious to say Gidley is better than him, particularly at this stage of his career.

But, he is most definetly a player I would have liked to have kept, he had one of his best seasons in years last year. Solid defender, plenty of positional experience, and very good at getting outside his man. I'd be happy you've signed him.

 

[roopy]

best defender in the backs you will see.

He won't score many tries, but whoever the lucky winger outside him is will score at a try a game. He will draw the defence and put his winger away. It's what he does.
Last season was his best since 2001. He was in the top 4 or 5 centres in the NRL - and he seems to be injury free at the moment.

 

[macavity]

if character comes into it - no question - better than lyon. if not he has better skills but is not as athletic.

nicest guy you will meet.

 

[knaus]

him and his wife are storing their gear at my girlfriends parents self storage business. apparently they are nice people. really had nothing to do with the topic but i just thought it was weird that he left for england so late, the rest of the teams would have been pre season training for ages wouldnt they?

 

[roopy]

him and his wife are storing their gear at my girlfriends parents self storage business. apparently they are nice people. really had nothing to do with the topic but i just thought it was weird that he left for england so late, the rest of the teams would have been pre season training for ages wouldnt they?

He is a mature and intelligent guy. If i were his coach and he told me he would get himself fit in early pre-season, i would trust him.

 

[Bring it home Knights]

best defender in the backs you will see.

He won't score many tries, but whoever the lucky winger outside him is will score at a try a game. He will draw the defence and put his winger away. It's what he does.
Last season was his best since 2001. He was in the top 4 or 5 centres in the NRL - and he seems to be injury free at the moment.

You have got to be kidding. 2001 was one of his worst seasons! He broke his leg in a trial game and when he finally came back, he was well below his best. It seems like a very strang comment you've made.

 

[roopy]

You have got to be kidding. 2001 was one of his worst seasons! He broke his leg in a trial game and when he finally came back, he was well below his best. It seems like a very strang comment you've made.

badly worded by me - i should have said his best season since his injury in 2001 - or maybe his best season since he was clearly the best in the world in 2000.

 

[antonius]

If you'd have asked at the end of season 2005 I'd have said he's well pst the use by date. But as Roopy said 2006 he was back close to his very best. Class centre and will set up plenty of tries for his outside men, England will prolong an already stella career.

 

[Lowey3]

Thanks for the replies.

Overseas players only arrive at UK clubs after X mas which was thew case with Gidley. My mates been training with him for Saints and says his come over in great shape.

Not enjoying the cold weather though!

 

[Stranger]

If you'd have asked at the end of season 2005 I'd have said he's well pst the use by date. But as Roopy said 2006 he was back close to his very best. Class centre and will set up plenty of tries for his outside men, England will prolong an already stella career.

Thats about spot on.
The fact that he played with a... not so great winger all year was a major factor IMO. As Giddley has aged he hasn't had that spark in attack or the winger outside him to score many tries. Now that he had Carney he had the ability to show his abilities in setting up the try not having to do absolutely everything but putting it down as he did in 2005.

 

[buccaneer]

best defender in the backs you will see.

He won't score many tries, but whoever the lucky winger outside him is will score at a try a game. He will draw the defence and put his winger away. It's what he does.
Last season was his best since 2001. He was in the top 4 or 5 centres in the NRL - and he seems to be injury free at the moment.

Unfortunately, that winger will be Ade Gardner. Ade has pace to burn and can have his moments, but is a total confidence player. You could see last season, that Lyon wasn't putting the same ball out to Gardner as he was with Albert in '05, as he didn't have the faith in him at times.

I hope Gidley can turn Gardner into a 'try a game man', but I won't be holding my breath.

 

[The Camden Leisure Pirate]

As long as you have a winger that can hold the ball, your team will see plenty of
trys scored from the old Gitley flick pass.

 

[roopy]

Unfortunately, that winger will be Ade Gardner. Ade has pace to burn and can have his moments, but is a total confidence player. You could see last season, that Lyon wasn't putting the same ball out to Gardner as he was with Albert in '05, as he didn't have the faith in him at times.

I hope Gidley can turn Gardner into a 'try a game man', but I won't be holding my breath.

If he has pace and can catch he is going to score a try a game - but you should mark them all down to Gidley.
Every winger in the NRL is told over and over not to go in on Gidley in defence, but he still suckers them all in.
In the ESL i imagine he will spend a whole year drawing in winger after winger to create a gap and put his own winger away time and again. He has turned it into an artform.

 

[The Camden Leisure Pirate]

It would also do him well to know where the side line is and stay inside it
unlike a certain Irish ex-ESL player whom played for the Knights 2006.

 

[buccaneer]

It would also do him well to know where the side line is and stay inside it
unlike a certain Irish ex-ESL player whom played for the Knights 2006.

Unfortunately, that was one of Gardners problems last season too, found touch way too often. Saying that though, he still came within a couple of tries of finishing SL top try-scorer.